Results tagged “thewashingtonsquarenews”

After the stunning Giants' Super Bowl win, people cheered like they hadn't seen a Super Bowl victory in 17 years! Throughout the city, folks were stumbling onto streets, chanting the names of players and even getting arrested.

A sophomore at New York University was found dead in his Water Street dorm room on Friday night. The Washington Square News reports that other residents were told about the death on Saturday and that the university did not send out an NYU community-wide email per a request from the deceased students' parents: "The family has asked that they be accorded the utmost privacy, and the university will do its best to honor its wishes...

A freshman from New York University apparently committed suicide yesterday morning. The student, Allan Oakley Hunter III, jumped from the roof of University Hall, a 15-story dorm at 110 East 14th Street; his body was found in the courtyard. The Washington Square News reports that police were searching his room around 10AM yesterday morning and that his body was removed by 1PM.

The Washington Square News has brought the scandal involving now-former NYU College of Arts and Sciences Student Council president Meredith Dolgin to a new level with a Flash Scandal at CAS interactive. Want to know the timeline? Or background on the players? Or what's even being investigated (election impropriety, financial malfeasance)? It's there!

NYU College Republicans say they are happy with the reaction from their planned "Illegal Immigrant Hunt" at Washington Square Park. They wanted to start a controversy and discussion - and that they did, with hundreds of protesters and more members of the media than actual College Republicans playing the game (by one count, twelve showed up, one signed up). College Republicans president Sarah Chambers told the Washington Square News, "Sometimes, you have to be politically incorrect. Sometimes, you have to be provocative." However, NYU president John Sexton told the NY Times he was disappointed that the group put "sloganeering and trivialization of thought above true debate."

One Koran in the toilet is bad. A second Koran in the toilet, you got problems. Or a rash of copy cats Koran dunkings. At Pace University's downtown location, a Koran was found in a toilet at the library's bathrooom - the second Koran-in-the-toilet incident in recent weeks and the fourth hate incident spanning the NYC and Westchester campuses. Pace is investigating the incident, but the Council on American-Islamic Relations' NY chapter issued a statement saying, "We once again call on Pace University to take concrete measures to help educate the student population about Islamophobic bigotry and its negative impact on ordinary Muslims and on American society."

The Washington Square News has an interesting article about minority students' demands for a minority lounge. The lounge would be located in Furman Hall, the new building on Sullivan Street. Obviously, the idea of a racially-segregated lounge raises some interesting questions about discrimination and equal opportunity:

“NYU is the largest private university in the United States and they are growing,” Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, told Community Board 2 Thursday night. “They are growing at a much faster pace than our neighborhood is. NYU has always been here. It should always be here. I don't think the Village would be the Village if NYU wasn't here. But I don't think the Village can stay the Village if it is predominantly NYU”

At around 4:40PM yesterday afternoon, a music professor at NYU was stabbed in the chest and back by a random man on West 3rd Street, between Mercer and LaGuardia. The Washington Square News says that Joseph Church, who teaches at the Steinhardt School of Education, was attacked by 30 (or 32) year old Mark Davilla, who then used a screwdriver to stab Church. A witness says that after Church was stabbed, he chased Davila through Schwartz Plaza (where Stern Business School is) and some people helped tackle Davila. Police say Davila had an argument with a girlfriend earlier and believe the attack was unprovoked; the NYPD charged him with assault and posession of a weapon. This is totally crazy - there must have been tons of people around, as it was a decent day and the plaza usually has its share of people hanging out. Did you see what happened?

NYU moved its career development center to the dorm in the space formerly known at the Palladium - the Palladium residence hall. The Washington Square News says there will be "a computer lab with 30 computers and laser printers, student and employer lounges, presentation rooms, recruiting rooms, wireless availability and a café with barstools and vending machines," plus "free faxing and copying, video conferencing for students studying abroad, and DVD-R technology for mock interviews." Hmm, will the DVD-R technology be used for reality show audition DVDs as well? Apparently company recruiters complained about the smaller facilities at 719 Broadway and at Washington Square. The jury is out amongst the student community, but we liked this quote from a student who lives at the Lafayette dorm: “It’s kind of far. I guess it depends on how good the café is.” Gothamist predicts she has a future in the restaurant industry.

We've been following this story for a couple of weeks, but some big news today: NYU has finally gone ahead and banned Coke from all campus vending machines! The company refused to allow an independent investigation into their labor practices in Colombia-- they had accused of partnering with bottling companies that kidnapped and killed union leaders. Apparently, the company came close to agreeing to the commission, but then backed off when it realized the information could be used in lawsuits in the United States. The Washington Square News continues their great series of reports:

A developer's plan to turn that school at 605 East 9th street into a dorm has fallen through as the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals voted against his plan. The Department of Buildings had rejected Gregg Singer's attempts to get a permit to turn the 5-story school into a 19-story dorm multiple times, causing him to go to Board of Standards and Appeals. While community groups are relieved there won't be 19 floors of students, Singer says the "decision sets a very dangerous precedent for the city — one in which future bidders on city properties will need to take into account before they bid. That is, that the city may sell you a site with a determined restriction only to attempt to change its zoning use after the fact. This amounts to an illegal taking of property.” Dude, you're dealing with New York City: The game changes all the time - you just didn't have a friend at City Hall!